Who we are

Dr. Angela Andersen

Co-Founder, Co-Executive Director & Treasurer

Angela studied catalytic RNA during her PhD (University of Toronto), X-chromosome inactivation as a postdoc (UCSF), and epigenetics and cancer as a Research Associate (HCI, OMRF). She was a Journal Editor at Cell for almost four years and co-founded and co-runs Life Science Editors BV and Life Science Editors Foundation. Angela recently launched Science With Angela to motivate scientists to read an abstract a day – building their knowledge, breadth, discipline and confidence.

Dr. Helen Pickersgill

Co-Founder, Chairperson of the Board

Helen studied cell biology during her PhD at the Paterson Institute in Manchester, UK, and gained postdoctoral experience in molecular and cancer biology at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, and the Whitehead Institute, U.S. She was a Journal Editor at Developmental Cell for a year, and then at Science for five years. She co-founded and co-runs Life Science Editors BV and Life Science Editors Foundation.

Dr. Giovanna Guerrero-Medina

Giovanna received her PhD in Neurobiology from the University of California, Berkeley, followed by work in science policy at the National Academies, the NIH, and the Van Andel Institute. Since 2012 she has been the Executive Director of Ciencia Puerto Rico. She is also the Director of the Yale Ciencia Initiative at Yale University School of Medicine and Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of Yale’s Wu Tsai Institute. These positions allow her to lead programs to promote more inclusive academic environments. Her work is funded by grants from the NIH/NIGMS and the Science Sandbox of the Simons Foundation, among others.

Dr. Mandë Holford

Mandë received her PhD in protein chemistry from Rockefeller University followed by an interdisciplinary, NSF postdoctoral fellowship to study venomous snails at University of Utah, Paris Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and Max Delbruck Research Center. She is an Associate Professor at CUNY Hunter College and The CUNY Graduate Center, with scientific appointments at the American Museum of Natural History and Weill Cornell Medicine. Her lab studies how venom evolved in animals and identifies novel venom peptides for use in research and medicine. She cofounded the award-winning EdTech company Killer Snails, which uses computer games to teach K-12 science.

Dr. Sabbi Lall

Co-Executive Director

Sabbi studied Developmental Genetics as a graduate student (Oxford), and microRNA-mediated regulation as a postdoc (NYU). She was a Journal Editor for five years at Nature Publishing Group and five years at Cell Press, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of Cell Reports. She is a Scientific Editor with Life Science Editors BV and Life Science Editors Foundation.

Dr. Alana Welm

Alana received her PhD in Cell and molecular biology at Baylor College of Medicine followed by postdoctoral training in cancer biology at UCSF. She started her laboratory at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) in 2007, where her lab focuses on breast cancer metastasis. She is a Professor and Senior Director of Basic Science at HCI. Her lab is funded by grants from the NCI, DoD, and various foundations.

Dr. Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz

Vice-President

Magda received her PhD in developmental biology at Warsaw University followed by postdoctoral training on embryonic stem cells at the University of Cambridge. She is a Professor at the University of Cambridge (UK) and at the California Institute of Technology (USA). Magda studies how cells in the early mammalian embryo make decisions to drive proper development. Her lab is funded by grants from the National Institute of Health, Wellcome, European Research Council, and various foundations.

Dr. Valentina Greco

Former Member and Secretary of the Board of Directors

Valentina is a Professor in the Genetics, Cell Biology and Dermatology Departments, and a member of the Yale Stem Cell Center and Yale Cancer Center at Yale University. She is on a mission to do good, collaborative science while promoting inclusivity within the scientific community, prioritizing mentoring of the lab’s trainees’ scientific growth, and striving to make science accessible to everyone. She has received many awards, including the 2021 International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Momentum Award, the 2019 NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, the 2019 Yale Postdoctoral Mentoring Award, the 2018 Yale Graduate Mentor Award in the Natural Sciences. She served on the Board of Directors of the Life Science Editors Foundation from 2020-2023, and was instrumental in our launch.